Dispensing carton



sept. 1, i936.

' F. w. FoERsTNER ET AL' DISPENSING CARTON Filed NOV. 4, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l ma.. l-

sept. 1, 1936.

I F. W. FOERSTNER ET AL DISPENS ING CARTON Sept. 1, 1936. F. w. FoERsTNER--ET A1.

DISPENSING CARTON Filed Nov. 4, 1935 ,Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 3l UNITE:

PreNr ori-ie DHSPENSDNG CARTN Frederick W. Foerstner and Roy Ferrer,

ttman,

Ohio, assignors to The @hilo Boxboard Company, lltittman, (thin,

a corporation or @hic Application November d, 1935, Serial No. 43,23@

il Claims.

This invention relates to cartons, and particularly to cartons of the folded blank, dispensing or pouring type.

One object of the invention is to provide a carton the kind referred to, in which the dispensing or pouring opening is formed by parts of the carton so arranged and so functioning as to make possible substantially automatic closing of the opening,vthus protecting the contents of the n carton from deterioration and against the entrance of foreign substances.

Another object of the invention is to so form the dispensing or pouring opening as to provide a continuous straight edge by which the contents of a spoon may be leveled as the spoon, after insertion through the opening and into the carton and its contents, is withdrawn therefrom.

The invention consists in a dispensing carton having a body provided with an end structure composed of a plurality of flaps folded into over lapping relation, certain of said flaps slitted to provide hinged tabs swingable upon their hinges to form a dispensing opening which they normally close, and the other flaps having portions cut away and frangible therefrom, respectively, to expose such dispensing opening, all as will be eX- plained hereinafter more fully and nally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the severalflgures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from whichv v the carton of. the invention is formed.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the carton with the flaps thereof folded into such positions as to partially complete the formation of the end structureu Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the formation of the end structure completed.

Figs. 4, 5 ando illustrate the use of the carton in dispensing its contents, particularly when the dispensing or pouring opening thereof is employed for the insertion and withdrawal of a spoon with which the contents of the carton may be removed.

The blank from which the carton is formed' is provided with lines of scoring ia, lb, l, ld, le', if, lg, lh, l1, l 1, ik and i1, and with slits 'or cuts 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2, 2f, 2g and 2h, by which it is divided into broad sides 3a and 3l?, narrow sides te and 4b, a pasting ilap 5 having tabs end flaps la, lb, l and "id, attached to the broad sides 3 and 3b and end aps 8a, 8b, 3 andtd attached to the narrow sides and il. l

When the blank is folded upon the lines of scoring le, ib, lc and ld, and the pasting flap 5 is'secure'd adjacent to the free edge of the narrow side ila, the blanlr will be formed into a rectangular tube, as is customary in setting up cartons of this character.

In the further setting up of blanks for pouring or dispensing cartons, lparticularly where the pouring or dispensing opening is in one end of the carton, itis customary to complete the formation of the end in which the elements for providing the pouring or dispensing opening are located, and to leave the completion or sealing of the other end until after the carton has been lled.

Accordingly, in further setting up the carton of the invention, the ilaps 8a and 8b are next folded inwardly, and then the ldap 'ib is folded over upon the pasted or otherwise suitably secured to the flaps da and tb. Thereafter, the flap 'la is folded over and pasted or otherwise suitably secured to the flap lb.

The flaps Se and tb of the narrow sides of the carton are provided with slits se and 9b, respec tively, extending inward an appropriate distance from their free edges to form tabs llla and ith, respectively, and where these slits terminate score lines lla and t lb, respectively, are run, preferably diagonally from the terminations of the slits 9a and 9b to the edges of the aps determined by the slits 2a and 2b. These score lines produce -hlnges upon which the tabs ite and ilib may be swung. 1t will be noted that the combined length oi' the ilaps da and 8b is substantially equal to the length of the carton end. Thus, when these flaps are folded and secured, as described, their free edges are in substantial juxtaposition asindicated at l2 in Figs. 2, t, 5 and 6, and their slits 9a and 9b form a continuous straight edge i3.

Flap lb which. is folded down directly against the flaps il and 8b has a portion cut away at lf2. in extent suihcient to clear the talos it and lilb, and the iiap la which is folded upon and secured to the flap lb is provided with a portion l5 partially severed from the lap by means of slits it, parts lt of the material of the flap between the ends of the slits i5 servingA to holdthe portion l5 `normally in place pending opening of the carton.

In order that the portion l5 of the flap l may not adhere to that part of the flaps tia and db and the tabs ida and i011 thereof cleared by the cutn away portion of the ap 'lb when all of `the flaps are pasted together, theportion of the flaps t and 8b, `and their tabs, thus exposed, may be printed or otherwise provided with adhesiverepellent material, and in furtherance of this object the part I5 may be formed with lines of scoring I1 forming offstanding ridge means to prevent intimate contact of the inner surface of the part I5 with the underlying parts of the flaps 8' and 8b. Moreover, the means I1 will tend to guard against obliteration oi underlying printed matter where such matter is employed.

With the pouring or dispensing end of the carton thus sealed, the carton may be illled with the material to be dispensed, and thereafter the other end iiaps 8, Bd, 1'and 1d may be folded into appropriate overlapping relation and pasted or otherwise appropriately sealed to complete the formation of the package. Y

When it is desired to obtain access to the contents of the package, the finger nail, or any appropriate instrument, may be inserted into one of the slits IG and the partially severed portion I5 broken away from the flap 1* and bent back with the score line It acting as a hinge, asillustrafed in Fig. 4. If it is desired to pour the contained material-from the carton, the tabs lli'L and Ilib may either be pushed in or bent out upon their hinges Il and IIb and the contents poured through the opening thus formed, the part I5, bent-down as described, acting as a pouring lip. Moreover, when the tabs are bent out they will form, in combination with the portion i5, an eiIective pouring spout.

If it is desired to remove the contents by spoonfuls, a spoon may be pushed against the tabs Ill' and Illb to force them inwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 5, or they may first be bent outwardly and the spoon inserted between them and into the opening. When the spoon is lled with material within the carton, it may be leveled as it is withdrawn by holding it upwardly against the straight edge I3 of the opening, as illustrated in Fig. 6. If the tabs I0* and IIIb are pusheddin, as illustrated in Fig. 5, when the spoon is inserted, they may follow the spoon out of the carton as it is withn drawn, by virtue of the resiliency of their'hinges II and lib, or they may be withdrawn bythe spoon by its engagement with them, as illustrated in Fig. 6. In either 4case, .they will tend, due to the resiliency of their hinges, to return automatically to their normal position, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, to close the pouring or dispensing opening, thus vexcluding foreign substances from the carton 'and protecting the contents thereof against deterioratiomor they may be manually returned to such position.

Furthermore, the frangible portion I5 maybe returned to its initial position, substantiallyfas illustrated in Fig. 3, although having been broken away from-the flap 1*, thus providing an additional closure for the pouring or dispensing Opening. l ff Itwillbenoted fatby arrangingthescore lines II. and Ill', which form the hinges for the tabs Inand m, diagonally, the shape er the Y pouring or dispensing opening conforms 'to some extent to the cross-sectional shape of a spoon, thus in a measure giardinglnt undesired spilling of the .contents of the carton when a spoon is used. Moreover, the tabs Il* and I may function to scrape oi! surplus material from lthe edges of the spoon as the contents of the spoon are leveled of! by the straight edge Il.

The provision of means whereby sticking'of the partially severed portion I 5 of the iiap 1* to underlying portions of the adjacent flaps isprevented, makes the severing or breaking away of this portion I5 from the'ap 1 easier, 'and the likelihood of its distortion remote.

Although the parts forming the dispensing or pouring opening have beenidescribed as located in the end structure of the carton, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that they may be placed in other locations upon the carton, as desired, so long as the aps necessary to their production are present.

Various change( and modications are considered to be within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

-What we claim isz- 1. In a dispensing carton, a body having an end structure composed of a plurality of flaps folded into overlapping relation, two of said flaps having a combined length substantially equal to the length of said end and having their free ends in juxtaposition, each ofsaid last-mentioned flaps slitted inwardly adjacent to its. free end to provide a tab hingedly joined to its respective flap, the remaining aps of said end structure having cut-away and frangible parts, respectively, whereby thesaid tabs may be exposed at the will of the user, said tabs swingable upon their hinge joints to provide a dispensing opening which they nor- 25 mally close.

2. In a dispensing carton, a body having an end structure composed of a' plurality of flaps folded into overlapping relation, two of said naps having a combined length substantially equal to the length of said end, each of said last-mentioned flaps provided with a straight slit adjacent to its free end to form a tab hingedly joined to its respective flap, the remaining flaps of said end overlapping relation and thus secured, two of said Viiaps having a combined length substantially equal to the length of said end, each of said last-mentioned ilaps slitted adjacent to its free end vto provide a tab hingedly joined to its respective iiap,

said tabs swingable upon their hinge joints to.

provide a dispensingV opening which they normally close, the other two naps overlying said slitted flaps and one of same having a severed portion and the other having a frangible portion of an extent sufiicient to uncover said dispensing opening, whereby the carton may be opened to dispense its contents .and may be closed thereafter as desired.

4.Inadispensingcarton,abodycomprising ,two broad sides and two narrow sides, each f said sides provided with an attached foldabie ila said naps when foldedinto overlapping'relatio and thus secured providing an end structure for the carton. the ilaps of said narrow sides being of a combined length suiiicient to span the carton end and underlying the flaps of said broad sides. thenapofeachofthenarrowsidesslittedinward- `ly from its free edge to providers tab hingedly joined to its respective flap, saidgbs swingable upon their hinge joints to provide a A openingwhich they normally close, the flap of one of said broad sides eut away to clear said dispensingopening andsecuredtotbeilapsofsnid narrowsideaandtheiiapofthcotherbroedslde overying and secured to the first-mentioned broad side nap and forming the exterior of the carton end and provided with a frangible portion of an extent suiiicient to uncover said dispensing opening. y

5. In a dispensing carton, a body comprising two broad sides and two narrow sides, each of said sides provided with an attached foldable flap, said flaps when folded into overlapping relation and thus secured providing an end structure for the carton, the naps of said narrow sides being of .a combined length suicient to span the carton end and underlying the flaps of said broad sides, the iiap of each of the narrow sides slitted inwardly from its free edge to provide a tab hingedly joined to its respective flap, said tabs swingable upon their hinge joints to provide a dispensing opening which they normally close, the' iiap of one of said broad sides cut away to clear said dispensing opening and secured to the flaps of said narrow sides, and the flap of the other broad side overlying and secured to the first-mentioned broad side ap and forming the exterior of the carton end and provided with a frangible portion of an extent suiiicient to uncover said dispensing opening, said frangible portion hingedly connected to its respective broad side and swingable into and out of overlying position with respect to said tabs.

6. In a dispensing carton, la. body comprising two broad sides and two narrow sides, each of said sides provided with anattached foldable flap, said y flaps when lfolded into overlapping relation and from its free edge to provide a. tab hingedly joined to its respective ap, said tabs swingable upon their hinge joints to provide a dispensing opening which they normally close, the flap of one of said broad sides cut away to clear said dispensing oren- 5 ing and pasted to the aps of said narrow sides, and the flap of the other broad side overlying and pasted to the first-mentioned broad side flap and forming the exterior of the carton end and provided with a frangible portion of an extent suicient to uncover said dispensing opening, said frangible portion provided with oistanding ridge means to aid in preventing its adhesion to said tabs when the end structure is pasted.

7. In a dispensing'carton, a body comprising l5 two broad sides and two narrow sides, each of said sides provided with an attached foldable flap, said flaps when folded into overlapping relation and thus secured providing an end structure for the carton, the flaps of said narrow sidesbeing f a 20 combined length suiiicientto span the carton end and underlying the flaps of said broad sides, the flap of each of the narrow sidesy slitted inwardly from its free edge to provide a'tab hingedly joined to its respective flap, said tabs swingable upon 25 their hinge joints to provide a dispensing opening which they normally close, the ap of one of Said broad des cut away to clear said dispensing opening and secured to the iiaps of said narrow sides, and the ap of the other broad side overlying and secured to the first-mentioned broad side ap and forming the exterior of the carton end and provided with a partially severed irangible portion of an extent suiilcient to uncover said dispensing opening. l 35 FREDERICK W; FOERSTNER.

ROY FORRER. y 

